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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26965549">our house on fire (we’re burning)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ganine/pseuds/Ganine'>Ganine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 3, Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Bad Ending, F/M, Ficlet, Persona 5 Royal - Freeform, Persona 5 Spoilers, Royal Spoilers ig, Short, Third Semester, clown shit, fake realities, imagine thinking id allow them to be happy, no beta we die like men, stream CALM 🔫, this is MY ship and mom said it’s MY turn for the angst, y’all can thank 5sos for this ❤️</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:13:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>710</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26965549</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ganine/pseuds/Ganine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Well, good morning to you too.” The stranger—could he even be classified as a stranger? Spoke.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Everything stops in that moment, the wind is knocked out of her as she struggles to find the words. Any words. She takes a step back, and another, and another till she’s backed against a wall. </em>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arisato Minato/Kirijo Mitsuru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>our house on fire (we’re burning)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There’s the clangs and sizzling that wake her. It takes a moment for the drowsiness to wear thin. When it does though, she leaps out of bed and sprints into the kitchen to see what uninvited guest is making themself comfortable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, good morning to you too.” The stranger—could he even be classified as a stranger? Spoke. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything stops in that moment, the wind is knocked out of her as she struggles to find the words. Any words. She takes a step back, and another, and another till she’s backed against a wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No. No. Nononono-</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Mitzi. Are you feeling okay?” He’s inches from her, resting the back of his hand on her forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You-you shouldn’t be here. You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? I’m right here. I always have been. Don’t you remember?” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Remember. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He slips his hand down to cup her face, worry etched into his eyes. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Maybe you drank too much at the New Years party last night. Your associates we’re really nagging you—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Party?” He frowns at her outburst, clearly concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, the one you invited everyone to. Maybe you should go back to bed—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. I,” there are flashes that playback. He came home with her that fateful day in Spring all those years ago, he graduated with Aragaki, he got to know her father, he moved in with her. There were smiles, a myriad of </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span> smiles that plagued her mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because they were happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She</span>
  </em>
  <span> was happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps she was being naïve, foolish, and everything in between. But would it be so horrible, so monstrous, to entertain the thought of it? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because she so desperately wanted to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually, she smiles. “I must’ve had a little too much to drink, like you said.” The answer satisfies him as he displays such a bright smile. A smile she hasn’t seen in </span>
  <em>
    <span>years. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Would it be so horrible to be with him? Here, now, </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>together</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He places a gentle kiss on her forehead, hands intertwining with her own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s eat.” Declares Minato, and Mitsuru follows without a hitch. As if everything was ok, as if everything was right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>—————————————————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wants to say something, his body urges himself to say something. Yet, he can’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He can’t help those who don’t want to be helped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Minato shouldn’t be here, he understands that. He understands that whatever this is, isn’t real. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So why can’t he say anything? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every attempt at saying something about it is changed and met with resilience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He so desperately wants her to wake up, to fight, to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she doesn’t. Because he knows, he knows, she doesn’t want to fight. She wants this, this is her desire. And she’s constantly fighting with herself about it, he knows it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because he’s doing it too. Once whatever caused this is defeated, he’ll return to his duty. At the very least, he saw her once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got to remember her smile, how her eyes crinkle when she laughs, the smell of her hair. Things he took for granted, things he began to forget. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And still, there’s nothing he can do. Not even her own father can convince her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After all, Mitsuru Kirijo is the living embodiment of stubbornness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>—————————————————————</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the end of the month, Mitsuru is happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Truly, unmistakably, happy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if she knows she’s living a lie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She mindlessly listens to the television, waiting for him to come out of their bedroom.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she waits. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And waits. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she realizes he isn’t going to come out. She crashes through the door and enters their—</span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>—bedroom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bed isn’t made, his phone isn’t on the left nightstand, his clothes aren’t in the drawers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like he was never here to begin with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Thank you for letting me be yours again.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Rings out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her breath hitches, her hands tremble, her eyes widen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And everything crumbles. <br/><br/></span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tears swell in her eyes and race down against her cheeks, and she wails like she just lost the love of her life all over again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because she did, because she desired to live a lie for just a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Because she wanted to be happy again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And all it caused her was pain. </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so that Third Semester huh</p></blockquote></div></div>
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